Bristol Palin, the nation’s most famous teen mom, introduced her son Tripp to the nation on Fox News on Monday night.

This is the  first interview with Bristol, and baby Tripp’s first appearance on TV. Bristol looks well for a new mom and aside from her nerves on camera, clearly adores two-month-old Tripp. He’s a gorgeous chubby baby who seemed to fall asleep on his mom during the interview. Aww.

Sarah Palin, Alaska’s governor (just in case you forgot) and Bristol’s mom, did her best to steal the show, but the message of the interview was Bristol’s unplanned pregnancy and teen motherhood.

She wanted to talk to other teenagers and hoped that they would learn from her.  While Bristol says that Tripp is “awesome” she also, in the words of a 18-year-old, “wished it could have happened in like, 10 years so I could have a job and an education and be, like, prepared and have my own house and stuff”.

On practical matters, she talks about how hard it is. She says that she’s “up all night” and that “it’s not glamorous at all”.  As for help, she says how blessed she is to have such a large family to help, and in particular how much Tripp’s paternal grandmother helps out with the baby. Levi Johnston is Tripp’s father, and apparently sees the baby every day.

And how much does Tripp’s other grandma help out? Bristol is a little cagey on that, but since she’s the governor of Alaska, I guess she’s somewhat busy with other things!

It had to happen. A bidding war erupted for the first pictures of Bristol Palin’s baby. The latest Internet reports indicate that she made an agreement with a magazine to put out the first pictures of the newborn. The deal is said to have been finalized at $300,000, after bidding started at $100,000.

Little Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston became the center of attention when his grandmother, Alaska governor Sarah Palin announced that her teenage daughter, 18-year old Bristol was pregnant. This was just three days after John McCain named her as his running mate.

Sarah Palin herself has become something of a fixture in pop culture, thanks in part to being repeatedly spoofed on Saturday Night Live. I suppose media interest in the newborn will continue for some time, especially since his grandmother’s future political aspirations are still unknown. Tripp’s father, apprentice electrician Levi Johnston may have to prepare himself for celebrity style media scrutiny.

At any rate, Bristol Palin has joined a pretty elite group which includes Brad and Angelina, although their offer would be nowhere near those of mainstream celebrities. So what’s next for Sarah Palin’s daughter, and indeed the governor herself? Can they shine the spotlight on the issue of teenage pregnancy in a way that has never been done before?

Or is it, as the family claimed during the campaign, a private issue that they have to deal with on their own? There are so many sides to this argument. Some may say that as long as the baby is being born into a supportive home then it’s not big a deal. An unwed teenage mother who is jobless and finds herself pregnant might be looked at a bit differently. Undoubtedly she would place a burden on taxpayers, and that is just one aspect of this often debated issue.

Anyway this represents a good head start for little Tripp’s future, financially I mean. Hopefully at some point the interest will die down and he will be allowed to have a normal life. After all, his mom is not the celebrity in the family. That honor belongs to grandma, who will no doubt be able to share interesting campaign stories in the future.

On Sunday, the Palin and Johnston families welcomed baby Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston. Bristol Palin, 18, is the oldest daughter of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the former running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The baby was born in Palmer, Alaska, and weighed 7 lb., 4 oz. Both mother and son are healthy and recovering well.

Bristol has not yet completed high school but is working on her diploma through correspondence courses. Her boyfriend, Levi Johnston, recently left school and is apprenticing to become an electrician. According to an interview in October with Levi, and recent reports from his mother, the young parents plan to wed this coming year and raise Tripp together.

Baby Tripp’s birth was at first confirmed by Bristol’s grandaunt, Colleen Jones, and was soon reported by People magazine. The families are all very excited about the new arrival, though the governor’s office considers the birth a private family matter and will not release information.

Bristol Palin’s pregnancy made headlines in a year full of news for many reasons, not the least of which was her age. In an era when it is sometimes easier to speak your convictions than it is to practice them, Sarah Palin reaffirmed her opposition to abortion in two ways when she not only knowingly bore a child with Down’s Syndrome (a decision lauded by some and criticized by others), but also gave her unconditional support to her unwed, pregnant teenage daughter.

At the time of the announcement, the governor and then-vice presidential candidate did not disclose the identity of the baby’s father. But his mother, Sherry L. Johnston, told the press it was her son that fathered the child. (Ms. Johnston recently made news of her own when she was arrested on drug charges related to prescription painkiller, OxyContin.)

I write this article hesitantly, knowing that Tripp’s birth is news, yet wondering why. It has been a tiring and emotional year for the Palin family, I’m sure. Few of us have to live under the scrutinizing eye of the American people. Of course, anyone who willingly enters public service knows this will happen. Still, it can’t be easy to have all of your decisions be a matter of dinner conversation. Conservatives wondered if a woman whose daughter was pregnant could be as conservative as she claimed. Liberals worried that if she became vice-president she would restrict American access to abortion. No matter how you feel about her politics or personality, I don’t see how anyone can disagree that Sarah Palin kept her composure well under tremendous pressures at work, unexpected difficulties at home, and unrelenting attacks and mockery from her critics. I’m glad that her first grandchild was born after the circus we called an election is over. Considering the silence echoing from her office, I hope that means she is taking the opportunity to just sit and enjoy her family. At a time of year when we all try to remember to be at peace and forget our differences, perhaps you can take a moment to wish her well and say a prayer for Bristol, Sarah, and all of the family.

Yesterday, the American Academy of Pediatrics released the results of a study of conducted on teens aged 12 through 17, followed over the course of three years. The teenagers who saw the most flirting, sexual conversation and sex scenes on TV during that period of time were more than twice as likely to become pregnant, or get someone pregnant, than those who saw the least.

Teenage pregnancy rates had been gradually falling over the past 15 years, but lately they have been on the rise again. Some have laid the blame on the phenomenal number of celebrity moms. Stars who appeal to teenagers, like Ashlee Simpson and Nicole Ritchie are moms or moms-to-be, and teenage celebrities like Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears have been accused of making teen pregnancy cool.

But even if our kids are buying Ashlee Simpson’s records, and want to wear Nicole Ritchie’s upcoming jewelry range, and watch Jamie Lynn in Zoey 101, all of that is ultimately superficial and not life changing. (By the way, anyone else think Bristol Palin is missing an opportunity? No product endorsements, clothing ranges or roles in teen dramas that I’ve heard of.)

But does watching sex on TV make teens more likely to have sex? Or, are teens who are more interested in sex are also more likely to watch sex on TV?

It’s certainly true that there’s more sex than ever on television than there ever has been, and more in magazines aimed at teens, in advertising, in the movies, in the clothing stores at the mall.

Teen pregnancy certainly isn’t a simple issue and the cause isn’t solely television, media, or celebrities having babies. And although no-one can tell a celebrity whether or not to get pregnant, and it’s hard, if not impossible to control what television a teenager watches.

But parents can try to talk to teens about sex, and especially about safe sex. And perhaps seeing sex on television, rather than being made a scapegoat, can be used as a way to start the conversation.

The negative impact of teen pregnancy on both individuals and society is well documented. High profile teen pregnancies like those of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin have brought the issue into new focus. Jamie Lynn’s pregnancy came after a series of negative stories in the media about her older sister, Britney. Bristol Palin’s pregnancy was revealed after her mother was chosen as Presidential hopeful John McCain’s running mate.

Of course one can speculate that Bristol’s pregnancy would not have generated such interest if her mom wasn’t running for Vice President, but who can really say? Right now however, there seem to be some people who are of the view that the pregnancies of these two teens and the subsequent media coverage have somehow made teen pregnancy more appealing.

This view may be based on the fact that these two girls are from financially stable backgrounds. Often, pregnant teens are from economically depressed areas. This, coupled with the fact that many of these teen mothers don’t obtain a high school diploma is a recipe for disaster. Most will require the social services to take care of themselves and their babies, and they will not be able to contribute to paying taxes.

I have heard a few people take aim at the movie, Juno for its depiction of a 16-year old high school student who gets pregnant. The fact that the guy who got her pregnant wasn’t even her boyfriend probably helped to raise the ire of some people as well.

Statistics show that there are over 400,000 teen births in the USA every year. The statistics showed a decrease in the number over the course of fifteen years. However, there was a three percent increase between 2005 and 2006, and it is anticipated that the figures for 2007 will also show an increase.

So will the teen pregnancies of Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears make it ‘cool’ for other teens to follow suit? If there is in fact an increase in the number of teen pregnancies over the next few years, can it in part be blamed on these two girls and to some extent the media?

One thing is certain; this issue must be confronted head on. There will always be debate on the best course of action, be it abstinence or birth control, or teaching teenagers about both. But at least we can all agree that the health and wellbeing of children is the paramount issue. I’ll leave you with a thought from Sarah Brown, the director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, When is the last time we said, as a culture, ‘Babies need adult parents.’

Everyone seems to have an opinion on Bristol Palin, the pregnant teenage daughter of Republican Vice President hopeful Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin has supported abstinence before marriage policies and her 17-year-old daughter Bristol isn’t married, although she’s announced that she plans to marry boyfriend Levi Johnson.

Bristol and Levi have been dating for a year, and 18-year-old Levi has “Bristol” tattooed on his left ring finger.

So, a couple of days after the news broke, celebrities have been weighing in on Bristol’s pregnancy. “It’s never easy when you’re dealing with something like teen pregnancy,” said Eva Mendes. “People need to look beyond that and give her [Sarah] the chance to have her fair say.”

Lindsay Lohan posted her opinion on her MySpace page. “Well, I think the real problem comes from the fact that we are taking the focus off of getting to know Sarah Palin and her political views, and what she can do to make our country a less destructive place. Its distracting from the real issues, the real everyday problems that this country experiences. I am concerned with the fact that Sarah Palin brought the attention to her daughter’s pregnancy, rather than all world issues and what she believes she could possibly do to change them-if elected. I get Sarah Palin’s views against abortion, but i would much prefer to hear more about what she can do for our country rather than how her daughter is going to have a child no matter what.”

And fellow teen mom Jamie Lynn Spears reportedly ordered a gift of baby burp cloths from chi chi Los Angeles baby boutique Petit Tresor, with a card reading “Dear Bristol, Hang in there! XXOO, Jamie Lynn Spears”

So here’s the questions… should celebrities be discussing political issues? Or is this whole situation nobody’s business but Bristol and her family’s?

Yesterday, Republican Vice-President candidate Sarah Palin announced that her unwed 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is five months pregnant.

Palin says that her daughter is planning to marry the baby’s father, and says “we’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.”

Political analysts speculate that the choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate for John McCain in this November elections is for her strong pro-life, anti-abortion views.

Sarah has five children. Her youngest, Trig, born in April, has Down Syndrome. The family knew about Trig’s condition while she was pregnant.

The news was released partly because of internet rumors that baby Trig is actually Bristol’s son, and Sarah is raising him as her own to avoid a scandal. If Bristol is five months pregnant, and Trig was born in April, that’s all but impossible.

Conservatives are divided on whether the news is good or bad for the Republicans. Those against sex before marriage are criticizing Sarah and her family, while other praising Bristol’s decision to keep her baby and marry her partner.

Whatever you believe about abortion, Sarah and her family clearly stand behind their pro-life views.

Do you think that the news that Sarah Palin’s daughter is pregnant is bad news for the Republicans? Do you think that her daughter having sex before marriage sets a bad example, or is it no big deal in 2008?